The Estate of Things

My friend Joel has a beautiful doll of a girl roommate named Aubrey and she is a genius. They rent a Spanish bungalow in West L.A. (total score… full on 3br 2ba house, exposed beams, an amazing backyard and studio out back. I’m gonna show you pics!)

Aubrey is a genius because she has a really fun ceiling, and she painted the room grey with a complimentary dark grey above and I love it. Don’t you!?

Here’s some more pics of the home, so you can salivate a bit. It’s affordable too. Affordable like less than $1000 per month per person.

I love the art deco tile that you run into in LA homes.

Sunbeam & Beams!!

Nice chairs. (Sarah must be wondering, but they are not Joel’s. They are the previous tenants)

What’s up trellis?

I once picked up Joyce Carol Oates’ novel Blonde almost ten years ago in a Barnes & Noble and began reading one of the chapters.  I didn’t purchase it that day but I did get it for Christmas from my husband this year.  It’s just as captivating as I thought it would be, a fantastic read so far.

Sometimes when Oates describes the streets and neighborhoods of LA during Norma Jean’s childhood, my mind drifts to memories of our trips to visit Betsy in LA. Can’t wait to go and visit again.

What will you be daydreaming of or reading this weekend?

photo taken in Betsy’s old neighborhood, Culver City 2008

Remember when I mentioned that I was flying down Lincoln Blvd and passed a store with my beloved fireplaces out front!? This is it. Live Style Marketplace & Gallery.

Kate and I had a big moving day on Sunday and on the way back from picking up a dining table in Venice, we decided to stop in and see what it would kind of money it would take to get one of those fireplaces set up in the corner of our new huge balcony. I choose this orange guy! We met with the fantastically friendly shop owner (Francesca), and she was ready to let me take him home for $1000. (too bad I’m poor).

Not all was lost though. This was a really fun visit. There’s much to see at Live Style: Inspiring furniture and accessories mostly from Indonesia and all of it at a REALLY fair price. When I inquired with Francesca about this show stopping couch, she told me that it was her own personal design, including the textile - which was a yummy velour. It wouldn’t normally occur to me to want a floral couch, but this one was special.

If you’re in the area, I’d recommend popping in to see what’s going on here. I’ll definitely be going back.

I won’t be lying when I tell you that I had a mini fantasy of moving back to LA, so that I could dress my apartment with some of the deals in the discount section of H.D. Buttercup. I hadn’t been to the store since they purchased new real estate and expanded within the Historic Helms Bakery of Culver City. The Re-design within the original building was a ton of fun. It has always amazed me how much they move their inventory around. Seems like they had more vintage pieces than ever and though its still broken up into sections for different ‘manutailers’ there was an interesting continuity of style and progressive ideas in home decor.

I talked to Sarah about the store and she asked me to explain the new inventory. The best I could do for her was describe some stuff as “Vintage British Smoking Parlor”, with other favorite areas giving nod to “Industrial Schoolhouse Design”. There was a very romantic masculine feeling in the pieces I took note of… Tons of great chandeliers, industrial desks, tufted leather, striped wood furniture, I was impressed with the ideas I was getting for Bachelor Decor. (of course I was probably prompted by the decor starved bachelor dungeons I stayed in while I was in LA.)

Unfortunately, I made it to California with two cameras and no batteries… So I only got to snap pics with my iphone.

nothing says masculinity like a large Chrome Stallion

I did a little online searching for better images and was surprised to find that H.D. Buttercup is just now warming up to the blogosphere and social networking game. They have a brand new blog, a new twitter with no followers and a new facebook page. Check it out. (My friend Joel also pointed out that they recently received mention in the ultimate Bachelor series, Entourage)

An inspiring little pocket in the uber-trendy Los Angeles neighborhood of Silverlake holds this collection of 7 homes that I thought you might wanna take a look at. These homes appear to be on the market for rent at ungodly prices - so don’t go trying to think realistically. Just sit back and fantasize like a good little one.

Today’s Installment of ESTATE ENVY comes from Los Angeles - where its a heck of a lot warmer and my options for what to do tonight are exponentially more exciting than what my night will be in reality!! Plus they have Pinkberry there, and for some reason I’m craving it. So, maybe it’s just a momentary envy.

This Mid-Century Post & Beam home is in the Mt. Washington area of LA - and I’m dying to peak around the corner and see what the view is like.

Images courtesy of The Value of Architecture

Nestled in the hills of Mt. Washington, hidden behind a verdant hedgerow, this art director’s private compound is a retreat from all things urban. Here the architects have transformed an otherwise humble 1930’s bungalow in the signature style of their late 1950’s and early 1960’s work. Slender wood posts support soaring beams, creating dramatic open spaces with minimally detailed plate glass windows all around. The consistent structural module, polished concrete floors, tongue-and-groove ceilings, board-and-batten siding and clerestory windows define the Modern aesthetic, while a pair of ultra-mod red entry doors point to the hipness of the era. 2 BR, 1 BA, 1,600 SF

Photography: Brian Thomas Jones

Listing Agent:
Brian Linder, AIA
Deasy Penner & Linder
The Value Of Architecture